The Best Brands of Zero Waste Beauty Masks

Many people choose to use a beauty face mask once a week or so, to either hydrate dry skin, or to help purify oily and congested skin. Usually you just apply the mask to clean dry skin for 10 to 15 minutes, leave to dry, then remove with a wet cloth, and thoroughly rinse your skin.

Clay masks are pretty gentle on skin (choose pink clay for dry skin and green clay for congested skin – such masks often also contain charcoal).

Perform a patch test first (remove immediately and rinse, if irritation occurs). Avoid direct contact with eyes. 

Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing and affected medical conditions. Avoid shea butter for latex allergies. Keep beauty face masks away from children and pets.

Many conventional facial beauty masks contain chemicals (especially those sheet beauty masks that are banned for sale in some countries abroad) and artificial fragrance, which does not biodegrade, once rinsed down sinks and into drains.  This causes algae bloom, which chokes oxygen out of the water, and may harm marine creatures.

Instead, choose natural beauty masks made with pure ingredients, sold in biodegradable and/or compostable packaging. All the following brands are also vegan-friendly.

Battle Green Clay Face Masks

Battle Green Clay Face Masks are sold in compostable brown paper bags. You can buy multi-packs, to save on postage (each sachet gives 5 to 8 applications).

Made with a blend of kaolin and bentonite clays and arrowroot powder, mix one teaspoon with a little water to form a paste, apply and leave on your skin for 5 minutes (until partially dry, don’t let the mask dry completely). Choose from:

• Beetroot Rose (brightening): Contains beetroot and mango powder, and rose geranium essential oil
• Chamomile (inflamed skin): Contains fragrance-free chamomile flower and carrot powders, and turmeric
• Orange Raspberry (exfoliating): Contains upcycled raspberry seeds, with hydrating seaweed powder and brightening sweet orange oil
• Charcoal & Tea Tree (congested skin): Contains upcycled charcoal powder and tea tree oil

Sweet Cecily’s Clay Masks

Sweet Cecily’s Green Clay Mask is ideal for oily/congested skin, sold in a glass jar with metal lid. This Whitby company also offers a Pink Clay Mask for dry and sensitive skin.

One jar (around £10) will last ages, as you only need 2 teaspoons per application (mixed with equal amount of water).

Green People Organic Facial Beauty Masks

Green People Purifying Face Mask is made with vegan organic ingredients, sold in easy-to-recycle sugar cane tubes. Made with purifying charcoal, bentonite clay and sustainably-sourced alpine willow.

Ideal for oily or congested skin. Just smooth over clean dry skin, leave for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse with a damp cloth. Scented with eucalyptus oil.

Green People AHA Radiance Mask is for dry and ageing skin, with 5 types of alpha-hydroxy-acids to promote cellular renewal. Contains extracts of bilberry, rosehip, cranberry and maple sugar, scented with oils of mandarin and neroli. Leave on for up to 15 minutes, then rinse off.

Raw Beauty Lab’s Vegan Collagen Face Mask

Raw Beauty Lab’s Vegan Collagen Face Mask (sold in a pack of 4) is made with bio-identical vegan collagen (made from natural yeast) that gives plumper skin after just one application (20 minutes) and clinically proven to hydrate and brighten skin, in just 8 weeks.

This mask has peptides that are small enough in molecular size to make a real difference.

After use, you can add a little warm water to remaining serum, leave it to soak for a couple of minutes, and massage the infused water into your arms, neck, décolletage or legs for a full-body collagen boost.

Environmental Impact of Conventional Beauty Masks

Most beauty masks sold today come in single-use sachets or pots made of plastic or mixed materials. Once used, these packages often end up in landfill or floating in the ocean. It’s estimated that over 120 billion units of single-use face masks and skincare packs are discarded worldwide each year. This waste problem includes several key issues:

• Plastic packaging is the biggest culprit. Sachets, tubes and pots are typically made from materials that break down very slowly, taking hundreds of years to dissolve. Most municipal recycling schemes cannot process these flexible, mixed plastics.
• Microfibres and tiny plastic particles are another hidden threat. Many sheet masks contain thin synthetic fibres that shed into water systems during and after use. These microfibres contribute to microplastic pollution harming aquatic life. A single synthetic mask may release thousands of microplastic fibres.
• Chemical runoff occurs when synthetic ingredients, preservatives and artificial fragrances in masks wash down the drain. Ingredients like parabens and phthalates do not break down easily and can affect ecosystems even at low doses. This worsens water pollution and disrupts wildlife.

In short, disposable beauty masks create a cycle of waste that stretches from plastic mountains to marine ecosystems. With growing awareness, zero waste alternatives have emerged to help cut these impacts drastically.

Key Features of Zero Waste Masks

Zero waste masks keep the environment in mind right from the materials to the packaging. Here’s what sets them apart:

• Biodegradable materials: Zero waste masks often use plant-based fibres such as cotton, bamboo, or cellulose that break down quickly and safely in compost or soil. Unlike synthetic fibres, these natural materials do not linger in the environment for years.
• Organic or natural ingredients: Ingredients come from nature and avoid harmful chemicals. You’ll find masks made with clays, herbal powders, essential oils, and botanical extracts that nourish skin gently and rinse away without residue. Avoiding synthetic preservatives and dyes also helps protect ecosystems.
• Refillable or minimal packaging: Packaging is kept to a minimum, using glass jars, paper pouches or compostable boxes. Some brands offer refill systems where you can buy the mask formula in bulk or powdered form and mix it with water at home, reducing waste further.
• Reusable formats: Cloth masks, often made from organic cotton, can be used multiple times, washed, and reshaped. Powdered masks are another option—they come as a dry blend you mix when needed. This approach limits leftover product waste and skips single-use packets entirely.